Honing machine



Nov. 23, 1943. c, FULMER 1 2,334,758

HONING MACHINE Filed Jan; 50, 1942 INVNOR. Olaf/es E [fl/mar A TYS.

Patented Nov. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Home mcnmn Charles A.Fulmer, Waukegan, Ill. Application January 30, 1942, Serial No. 428,510

3 Claims.

This invention relates to honing machines andis directed to an improvedhydraulic system for controlling the tool actuating parts of machines ofthis general nature.

It is an object oi the invention to provide an improved hydraulic systemfor reciprocating the tool carrying part or a vertical honing machinewhich has a greatly simplified and eflfective counterbalancing meanstherein cooperating with a tool speed equalizing valve to efiect a"dwell period for the tool at its lowermost limit of-motion.

Another object of the invention is to provide an hydraulic control for ahoning machine provided with a cylinder which will move the toolcarriage therefor at the same speed for either phase of itsreciprocation, said hydraulic control automatically adjusting the rateof flow differential between that in the small displacement end andthatof the larger displacement side of the cylinder for all reciprocatingcarriage speeds.

- Other objects will be apparent from the following specification anddrawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention, and inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the hydraulic system for honingmachines, the valves and some machine parts being shown in cross-sectionand other machine parts being indicated'in fragmental, side elevation.

Fig. 2 is'an enlarged cross-section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

5 indicates a reciprocating, tool-carrying part comprising a splinedspindle 5 vertically movable in a housing 6 of a honing machine andcarrying at its lower end a honing tool I which is connected to thespindle by means of a universal joint 8. The spindle is constantlyrotated while the machine is in operation by a gear 9 rotatably mountedon the housing 6, the spindle having vertical reciprocation relative tosaid gear. The gear 9 is turned by a gear l mounted on the end of amotor driven shaft H. Upon the housing 6 is positioned an hydrauliccylinder or motor l2 which has a piston l3 movable therein and connectedto the upper portion of the spindle by a shaft l4. The honing tool isreciprocated within a cylinder to be honed (not shown) and also movedupwardly to an inoperative point beyond the honed cylinder byalternately introducing fluid under pressure from the main line 22 intothe duct IS on the small side of the cylinder l2 and into duct IE on thelarger side of said cylinder. The alternate introduction of pressurefluid through the ducts I and I6 is controlled by a pilot valve i1actuated by stops (not shown) movable with the carriage member of themachine while the inoperative upper limit of motion or the honing toolis manually controlled by closing a volume control valve 23 when saidtool moves upwardly to its inoperative position.

' The hydraulic system and the valve means for controlling a honingmachine .of the general type described, consists of a motor driven pump19 which creates the constant fluid pressure for the system. The pumphas a conventional springload relief valve 20 thereon which returnsexcess fluid to the sump tank 2| when the pressure in the main line 22exceeds a definite maximum pressure or returns all the pressure fluid tothe tank when the control valve 23 is closed. Interposed in the mainline 22 is the manually operated volume control valve 23 for maintainingany desired volume in the system between the maximum pump capacity andzero and which also is used to stop or start the machine operated by mysystem. This valve has a passageway 24 connected to the main linethrough which pressure fluid passes. The passageway may be opened andclosed or its eflective diameter varied by means of a valve 25 whichcooperates with a valve seat 26. The valve has a threaded shaft 21connected thereto which is rotated manually by a lever 28 fastened to itthrough a connecting shaft 29.

The piston I3 is reciprocated within the cylinder l2 by alternatelyintroducing fluid under pressure into the branch pressure line 30communicating with the'upper duct IS in the cylinder and the branchpressure line 3| connected to the lower duct I5, the latter duct beingon the small side of the cylinder through which the piston rod passes.and simultaneously pressure and drain lines for thepressure-transmitting medium, it being understood that when branch line3| is introducing fluid under pressure to the lower end of thecylinder,'branch line 30 will be draining fluid to the sump tank fromthe upper end of the cylinder and vice versa. The means for alternatelyintroducing pressure fluid in the main line 22 to either side of thecylinder to reciprocate the tool-carrying part of the machine in itsoperative motions upon work to be honed, consists of a reverse control.valve 32 operated by the pilot valve H. By turning the pilot valve ll,either manually by a suitable lever (not shown), or automatically in aconventional manner by actuation through stops on the tool carriage, thedirection control valve may be reversed, thus reversing the direction ofmovement of the piston l3. As shown in Fig. 1, the pilot valve is inposition The branch lines are alternately toadmitfluidunderpressureiromthe main line 22 to the righthand side of cylinder 52 through line 28.When the pilot valve is moved 90, pressure fluid from the main line 22will be admitted to the leithand side 01' the cylinder 82 through line84, thus moving the piston to the right. It will be noted that when line83 is carrying pressure fluid to the direction control valve 82, line 84is draining fluid to the sump tank 2| by line 35 and vice versa. Thepiston 38-01 the direction control valve has two reduced portions 21 and38 formed therein which act as passageways for the ports with which theyare aligned. As illustrated in the drawing. portion 31 has opened themain pressure line 22 to branch line 3| to introduce pressure fluid tothe lower side of the cylinder |2, while reduced portion 88 has opened adrain line 89 to the branch line 30 thereby exhausting fluid from theupper part of cylinder I2. It will therefore be seen that the piston iscarrying the tool carriage in an upward movement of its reciprocatingmotion.

When the piston 36 has been moved to the right side of the cylinder 32by operation of the pilot valve from a position shown in Fig. 1, through90 from the illustrated position by actuation of said pilot valve by thetool carriage or by a manual lever, portion 31 opens branch line 3| toauxiliary line 40 of the drain line 38 while portion 38 opens branchline 80 to auxiliary line 4| communicating with the main pressure line22, thus changing branch line 38 from a drain to a pressure line andbranch line 8| from a pressure line to a drain line.

The means for equalizing the speed of the piston l3 in either its upwardor downward direction of motion, consists of a proportioning valve 42which is adjusted to constantly bleed a certain volume of fluid frombranch line 3| into drain line 35 through line 48 whenpressure fluid isbeing introduedby line 8| into the lower or small end of cylinder I2,which is the and through which the piston rod |4 passes. Theproportioning valve 42 has a passageway 44 through which pressure fluidor exhaust fluid in line 3| freely passes. A chamber 45 is formed atright angles to the passageway 44 and it communicates with saidpassageway by an opening 46. The opening 46 forms a seat for anadjustable valve4'l. The adjustment oi? this valve relative to the seatdetermines the exact amount of fluid bled from branch line 3| when it isintroducing pressure fluid to the small side of the piston. The valve isadjusted by means of a lever 48 fastened to a threaded Portion 48 byshaft'5ll. The threaded portion 49 engages internal threads formed inthe valve cap 52. The lever 48' is connected to lever 28 of the controlvalve by a link 53 so that upon manual adjustment of the volume controlvalve, the proportioning valve will automatically be adjusted to bleedoil the proper proportion of pressure fluid in branch line 3| when thevolume of pressure fluid in the system is increased or decreased.

- In other words, the proportioning valve is connected to the volumecontrol valve so that under varying speeds of the piston i3, made byadjusting the volume control valve 23, the proportioning valve willbleed oil enough volume of fluid to equalize the piston motion in bothphases of reciprocation under all speeds of piston travel.

The means for stopping the piston IS in its upper inoperative positionwithin the cylinder which determines the inoperative position of thehoning tool outside the work, consists of menu ally closing the volumecontrol valve 23 when the piston is in its upper inoperative position,

thus returning all the pressure fluid from the I pump it to the sumpthrough relief valve 20 until said motor is made inoperative or thecontrol valve 23- is again opened.

Themeans for holding the reciprocated, toolcarrying part of the machineand all its associated parts in equilibrium regardless of the positionatwhich said parts come to rest, consists of the counterbalance valve 58which has an S-shaped passage 80 formed in the casing 8|, theintermediate wall 01' said passage being formed to provide a valve seat62. The small end or head 88 of a piston 84 moving vertically within thecasing 8| functions as a valve which may engage or disengage the valveseat 82 to respectively close or open said valve. The branch pressureline 3| is connected to either side or the passage 60 so that saidpassage forms part or the said line. The valve is urged against its seatby means or a spring 65, its load on said valve being adiusted by ascrew 68 engaged by the upper end of said spring and threaded in a cap81 fastened to the upper end 01 the casing 8|. The piston has an upperenlarged portion and a smaller portion 63 thereby forming an annulus 68between them. When the branch line 8| is carrying pressure fluid, asshown in Fig. 1, said fluid impinges on the annulus 88 and moves thepiston upwardly against the load of the spring 85, thereby opening thevalve 59. Pressure fluid is therefore introduced into the small end ofthe cylinder |2 to move the piston l2 upwardly. Ii for any reason,whether because of failure of the branch lines, the breakdown of thesystem, or

the stopping of the machine, the piston and its associated reciprocatingparts are stopped at an intermediate position within the cylinder, theyare prevented from moving downwardly under the force of gravity by thevalve 59 which closes branch line 3| against exhaustion of fluid fromthe cylinder by the load of the spring 85 on the valve 63. The pistonwill only move downwardly against the closed spring action of the valve58 when pressure fluid is introduced into the top duct it of thecylinder. The pressure exerted by the spring 55 must be great enough toretain fluid in the lower side of the cylinder when branch line 3| actsas a drain line, thus sustain.- ing the reciprocating'mass inequilibrium. To permit downward movement of the piston |3,.theintroduction of pressure fluid through line 38 to the top of thecylinder creates a downward force which, with the weight of the toolcarriage and associated parts, provides suflicient pressure on the smallend 63 oi. the counterbalance valve to move the piston upwardly againstthe load of' the spring 65 to thereby open said valve and permitexhaustion of fluid from the bottom of the cylinder.

It will be noted that the proportioning valve 42 and the counterbalancevalve 59 cooperate to efiect a dwell of the honing tool at the lowermostlimit of motion of the reciprocated part during its working cycle, toprevent barrel shaping of cylinders which have a closed or blind endsuch as in cylinders for airplane motors or the like. When the honingtool is reversed from a This delayed reciprocated, tool-carrying part, acylinder, a

piston movable within the cylinder, a piston rod extending into one endof the cylinder and connecting the piston to the part, a main fluidpressure line, a volume control valve in the main line, rotatable meanson the valve for varying the volume of fluid in the main line, a duct ineach end of the cylinder, a branch pressure line connected to each duct,means for alternately introducing fluid from the main line into thebranch lines, a proportioning valve in the branch line communicatingwith the duct on the end of the cylinder through which the piston rodpasses, a

drain line connected to the proportioning valve,

rotatable means on said valve for directing a predetermined volume ofthe fluid introducedftherein t to the drain line, and means connectingthe rotatable means on the proportioning valve and on the volume controlvalve whereby the proportioning valve will bleed off a volume of fluidfrom the branch line bearing a direct relationship to the variation involume admitted to the main pressure line by the control valve. 2. In ahoning machine the combination of a rciprocated, tool-carrying part, acylinder, a piston movable within the cylinder, 2, piston rod extendinginto one end of the cylinder and connecting' the piston to the part, amain fluid pressure line, a volume control valve in themain line,rotatable means on the valve for varying the volume of fluid in the mainline, a duct in each end of the cylinder, a branch pressure lineconnected to each duct, means for alternately introducingfluid from themain line into the branch lines, a proportioning valve in the branchline communicating with the duct on the end of the cylinder throughwhich the piston rod passes, a drain line connected to the proportioningvalve, rotatable means on said'valve for directing a predeterminedvolume of the fluid introduced therein to the drain line, and a linkpivoted to the rotatable means on the proportioning valve and to thevolume control valve whereby the proportioning valve will bleed oil avolume of fluid from the branch line bearing a direct relationship tothe variation in volume admitted to the main pressure line by thecontrol valve.

3. In a honing machine the combination of a vertically reciprocatingtool-carrying part, a vertical cylinder positioned above the part, apiston rod connecting the piston to the part, a duct in each end of thecylinder, a pipe connected to each duct, hydraulic means for alternatelyand simultaneously constituting each pipe a pressure line and a drainline for their respective cylindeg' ends, a proportioning valveinterposed in the pipe to the duct on the lower end of the cylinder, adrain line for the proportioning valve, a constantly opened orifice insaid valve for directing a predetermined volume of the pressure fluidintroduced therethrough to the drain line, a counterbalance valveinterposed in the pipe to the lower end of the cylinder between theproportioning valve and the lower duct, and a plunger in thecounterbalance valve for precluding the passage of pressure fluidtherethrough below a predetermined pressure, whereby the opening of theplunger is momentarily delayed by the bleeding off of pressure fluid bythe proportioning valve.

. CHARLES A. FULMER.

